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*Dungeons & Dragons
Blindsight in 5e
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<blockquote data-quote="Nifft" data-source="post: 6661692" data-attributes="member: 6562"><p>This is a very general ability. It's used to represent a variety of monster senses, including echolocation and unnaturally accurate scent. Unfortunately, it's a bit over-general, and it's not clear how it actually works under a variety of conditions.</p><p></p><p>Similar abilities, for reference:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Darkvision is pretty clear. It allows you to see in the dark out to a certain range. You're limited to whatever information sight could provide. Darkvision works through a window or wall of force or even a mirror, allowing a spy to peek around a corner with a mirror just as she could under lighted conditions.</p><p></p><p>Truesight is similarly clear. It's a type of sight, and it penetrates a bunch of deceptive or inhibitory effects which target sight.</p><p></p><p>Blindsight, in spite of its name, does not provide sight. It allows a creature to perceive its surroundings without relying on sight.</p><p></p><p><strong>What we MUST assume</strong>:</p><p>- Blindsight is precise enough to allow a monster to be effective in combat. The text doesn't actually say if Blindsight permits a creature to target enemies precisely, but it must mean that, or it would not be relevant for monsters.</p><p>- Blindsight is precise enough to allow a monster to navigate at its full speed.</p><p>- Blindsight is precise enough to allow a monster to cook, eat, mate, and maintain its weapons or gear.</p><p>- Blindsight seems to penetrate some substances, such as water, just as easily as it penetrates air. There are no special notes on </p><p>- Blindsight does not automatically counter Stealth. Doesn't say if it does or doesn't, but monsters with Blindsight do have Perception scores, so it's reasonable to assume they must roll Perception. This is a welcome change from how Blindsight worked in 3.x D&D.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Open questions</strong>: (This is basically the stuff that I'm interested in discussing in this thread.)</p><p>- Does Blindsight work like vision through transparent or invisible barriers? (Wall of Force, a glass window, etc.)</p><p>- How about thin, porous barriers? (A paper wall, a cloth tent, etc.)</p><p>- Can Blindsight see around corners? Not using a mirror, presumably, but instead using acoustic reverberations or scent or whatever.</p><p>- How about over walls or hedges? An open-top stone or hedge maze could be very challenging against the right opponent(s).</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Other notes</strong>:</p><p>- Bats are explicitly using only echolocation.</p><p>- Darkmantles are explicitly using only echolocation.</p><p>- Grimlocks can use either hearing or scent as Blindsight vectors. Both are equally effective without the other.</p><p>- Other creatures, including Dragons and Half-Dragons, can use Blindsight with no particular vector.</p><p>- Firebeetles have Blindsight, which is weird, because their biology expends energy to create light.</p><p>- Crabs have Blindsight, which I did not expect. Now I kinda want a crab familiar.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nifft, post: 6661692, member: 6562"] This is a very general ability. It's used to represent a variety of monster senses, including echolocation and unnaturally accurate scent. Unfortunately, it's a bit over-general, and it's not clear how it actually works under a variety of conditions. Similar abilities, for reference: Darkvision is pretty clear. It allows you to see in the dark out to a certain range. You're limited to whatever information sight could provide. Darkvision works through a window or wall of force or even a mirror, allowing a spy to peek around a corner with a mirror just as she could under lighted conditions. Truesight is similarly clear. It's a type of sight, and it penetrates a bunch of deceptive or inhibitory effects which target sight. Blindsight, in spite of its name, does not provide sight. It allows a creature to perceive its surroundings without relying on sight. [B]What we MUST assume[/B]: - Blindsight is precise enough to allow a monster to be effective in combat. The text doesn't actually say if Blindsight permits a creature to target enemies precisely, but it must mean that, or it would not be relevant for monsters. - Blindsight is precise enough to allow a monster to navigate at its full speed. - Blindsight is precise enough to allow a monster to cook, eat, mate, and maintain its weapons or gear. - Blindsight seems to penetrate some substances, such as water, just as easily as it penetrates air. There are no special notes on - Blindsight does not automatically counter Stealth. Doesn't say if it does or doesn't, but monsters with Blindsight do have Perception scores, so it's reasonable to assume they must roll Perception. This is a welcome change from how Blindsight worked in 3.x D&D. [B]Open questions[/B]: (This is basically the stuff that I'm interested in discussing in this thread.) - Does Blindsight work like vision through transparent or invisible barriers? (Wall of Force, a glass window, etc.) - How about thin, porous barriers? (A paper wall, a cloth tent, etc.) - Can Blindsight see around corners? Not using a mirror, presumably, but instead using acoustic reverberations or scent or whatever. - How about over walls or hedges? An open-top stone or hedge maze could be very challenging against the right opponent(s). [B]Other notes[/B]: - Bats are explicitly using only echolocation. - Darkmantles are explicitly using only echolocation. - Grimlocks can use either hearing or scent as Blindsight vectors. Both are equally effective without the other. - Other creatures, including Dragons and Half-Dragons, can use Blindsight with no particular vector. - Firebeetles have Blindsight, which is weird, because their biology expends energy to create light. - Crabs have Blindsight, which I did not expect. Now I kinda want a crab familiar. [/QUOTE]
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